We’ll never know whether this Siamese cat was attempting to set freefall records for its species or engaging in a dramatic feline suicide attempt when it jumped from the top of this Colombian communications tower. But we do know that firefighters were on hand to catch it in a net before it hit the ground. Well done, brave kitty. You’re a credit to your species in a way that Maru can only dream of.

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Actually its more likely Cats will die from falls less than 9 stories.

'Perhaps more intriguing than purring is the cat's ability to survive falls. The research of veterinarians Wayne Whitney and Cheryl Mehlhaff at the Animal Medical Center in New York City shed light on this ability in 1987. The cat's habit of falling out of open windows provided the researchers with an opportunity to study 115 cats that had fallen from high-rise apartments in New York City. The average fall was 5.5 stories. Of the 115 cats studied, 90 per cent survived, including one cat that fell 32 stories onto a sidewalk and suffered only a mild chest injury and a chipped tooth. Interestingly, cats that fell from 9 or more stories suffered fewer injuries than those falling from lower heights. Among cats that fell from 9 to 32 stories, only 5 per cent suffered fatal injuries, but 10 per cent of those that fell from 7 or fewer stories died.'

It's an interesting bit of folk law, but you have to wonder how many cats who fell from greater than those stories died, and were never taken to the vets who were compiling these statistics, the few injuries reported from the greater than 9 stories would just be the random freak occurrence where these cats survived.

It does make sense though. If you're hitting terminal velocity anyhow, you would have a better chance to survive if you have time to prepare your landing. I'd expect survival rates to follow a 'U' shaped curve with increasing height.

A lot of things make sense but don't stand up to a proper examination. I totally agree with what they are saying in the study regarding reaching terminal velocity and relaxing and spreading their limbs to reduce drag, but the flaw in their data is that it is based only on cats that were brought into the hospital. Not the other 200 cats that fell from a 40 story high rise and look like something that was thrown up in a gutter on new years eve.

Lies, Damn lies and statistics.

Still, awesome video, just glad there were firefighters with a net to catch him, even though he doesn't look like he appreciates it.

Cats have a much lower terminal velocity than larger animals. More height gives them more time to adjust their position. Injury usually occurs from impact with an irregular surface or a protrusion, such as a fence post.